President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at making it easier for cities and states to clear homeless encampments from public spaces, while also expanding access to addiction and mental health treatment facilities for those displaced.
The sweeping order authorizes Attorney General Pam Bondi to undo judicial precedents and consent decrees that have restricted local governments from removing homeless individuals from sidewalks, parks, and other public areas. It also calls for homeless individuals to be relocated to federally supported rehabilitation and substance abuse centers.
In addition, the order instructs Bondi to coordinate with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to accelerate funding to jurisdictions that enforce crackdowns on drug use, loitering, urban squatting, and encampments—while implementing tools to track offenders among the unhoused population.
Speaking on the South Lawn Friday, President Trump defended the order as a practical solution to what he called an out-of-control problem.
“Just outside the White House, there were tents going up — and they’re being removed right now. We can’t have that. When foreign leaders come here to negotiate trade deals worth trillions, and they see tents right outside, it’s unacceptable,” Trump said. “We’ve got to restore dignity to our cities.”
White House: A Commitment to Safer Streets and Treatment Access
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the order reflects President Trump’s commitment to ending homelessness by addressing both public safety and the root causes.
“By removing dangerous vagrants from our streets and expanding access to treatment for addiction and mental health, this administration is ensuring that American communities are safe and that those in need receive real help—not just more tents,” Leavitt said.
Critics Warn of Harmful Consequences
However, advocates for the homeless strongly condemned the order, warning that it criminalizes homelessness rather than solving it.
“This represents a return to failed, punitive policies,” said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “It ignores decades of evidence showing housing-first strategies are the most effective.”
The National Homelessness Law Center echoed those concerns, stating the order will “deprive people of basic rights” and lead to increased use of policing and institutionalization, potentially worsening conditions for many already living in tents or cars.
Background: Rising Homelessness and Legal Backdrop
The executive action follows a June Supreme Court decision that upheld an Oregon city’s right to ticket people sleeping outside, ruling such anti-camping laws do not violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.
The decision emboldened cities and states grappling with growing homeless populations to take more aggressive action.
Homelessness in the U.S. reached its highest level on record in 2024, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with over 770,000 people experiencing homelessness—an 18% jump from the previous year. Experts attribute the rise to skyrocketing housing costs, an influx of migrants, and climate-related disasters.
As a candidate, Trump consistently pledged to tackle homelessness. During a campaign rally last September, he vowed, “The homeless encampments will be gone. They’ve destroyed our cities. We will take care of the people, but we will no longer tolerate the chaos.”
This executive order marks the first major federal action in President Trump’s second term addressing the homelessness crisis at the national level.
